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Sorella Resources

Custom Jewelry Design

Sorella Jewelry Studio specializes in custom and personalized jewelry. Our expertise is in creating pieces that are produced one-at-a-time (not mass produced) and only upon order from a customer. We are a true artisan studio that creates jewelry using the traditional lost wax casting process that delivers spectacular fine jewelry.

We especially love creating one-of-a-kind custom wedding rings, engagement rings, and anniversary rings. We also enjoy working with businesses on creating corporate and logo jewelry.

Custom Modification of One of Our Existing Pieces

Sorella has an extensive collection of personalized jewelry including rings, pendants, charms, bracelets, cuff links, and key rings. Each piece can be customized with names, words, dates/Roman numerals, numbers, Chinese Symbols, Hebrew and any other image or symbol you can imagine.

Sometimes these pieces are exactly what you're looking for ... and sometimes you'd like something slightly different. We can work with you to modify one of our pieces to fit your vision.

A Custom Modification begins with one of our existing pieces, but incorporates a modification that materially changes the construction of the piece. Some examples of modifications we've made for customers include:

We added a North star to the center of our roman numeral wreath pendant for a customer who wanted to honor her brother after his passing.

We reduced the width of our Hebrew message ring to 4mm for the groom whose tiny fiancé couldn’t sport the 6mm width.

We increased the size of our 20mm Round Chinese Symbol Pendant for a gentleman who wanted a larger size that had a little more bling!

Modifications often can be made for a minimal customization charge of $75 for the design alterations. More complicated modifications can run more and will need to be quoted individually. If the piece is made in any precious metal other than silver, there could also be a price adjustment (up or down) to reflect the change in the amount of metal required.

Creation of a Completely Custom Piece

This category is for the creation of completely new designs. Typically, a customer comes to us with a design in mind - they may have a drawing or images or just a description of the piece they would like to have created.

The Custom Design Process consists of three main stages:

Stage 1: Consultation- We begin with a conversation (by phone or email) about your vision - the type of piece, precious metal, quantity, and design. If you are choosing one of our exisitng pieces, a firm quote can be provided at this time. For a custom piece, a rough quote would be provided at this stage with a final quote given once a prototype is created and a weight can be determined.

Stage 2: Design - Once we have an understanding of your piece(s), we begin the design stage. At this point a $125 non-refundable design fee is required which will be credited to the final price of your order. Our designer will then work with one of our craftsman to create a detailed production drawing of your piece using our CAD (computer-aided design) software. You'll review the CAD drawing and work with us on any modification you'd like, until the design meets with your approval. At this point, we will provide you with a final price. Full payment is required to move to production.

Stage 3: Production - Once you have signed off on the final design and payment has been received, we move to the production stage. Most pieces are cast using the lost wax casting process; others will be milled. If you are ordering a quantity of pieces, we'll create a protype in sterling silver and mail it to you for approval before producing the remainder of the pieces in the precious metal of your choosing. Once, cast or milled, any gems will be set and the the pieces finished by our bench jeweler.

Some Additional Notes

The custom/modification process will typically take from two to four weeks for our existing pieces and four to eight weeks for custom designs, all dependant upon the complexity of the design and the length of the modification and approval stage.

It's important to understand that a significant portion of the cost of creating custom jewelry is the time-intensive design and manufacturing costs that can only be spread across this single piece. Quite a contrast to a jewelry manufacturer who mass produces a piece and can spread the cost over the large quantity produced. So, while the precious metal chosen will also significantly impact cost, the simplest piece of custom jewelry in sterling silver will rarely cost less than $250. Pieces in gold, palladium and platinum, will obviously cost much more.

Another issue that can come up with custom jewelry is that of trademarked and copyrighted images and designs. Unless you own the rights to an image, design or logo, we cannot reproduce it on a piece of jewelry. As a creator of original designs ourselves, we are very supportive of an artist's or company's intellectual property rights.

Sorella can create custom pieces in a wide selection of precious metals including platinum, palladium, 10k, 14k, and 18k gold (yellow, white, and rose) and sterling silver. We also work in two tone metals that are a combination of these metals.

If you're ready to start a discussion, please complete the Custom Design Inquiry Form below. The more you can describe what you're looking for, the easier it is for us to make it happen.